Why use an alias?

[GenesA]

I am helping a friend with his family tree and we have found that his grandfather uses an alias several times in records. For the sake of his family’s privacy, he has asked me to use false names.

So let’s say his grandfather was named SMITH but he and his whole family used the alias JONES in 1901. He was living apart from his wife and family in 1911. His family used Smith in 1911 but he used Jones. He appears on electoral registers as Henry JONES between 1895 and 1925. He died in 1926 as Henry Smith.

As far as we know, the family have no claim to the name Jones at all. So why use an alias?

[Kiltpin]

Debt. 

Regards 

Chas

[GenesA]

Thank you Kiltpin. I don’t suppose there’s any way we could confirm it? Would there be records relating to this do you think?

[Mart 'n' Al]

On one census my great grandfather describes himself as a widower, while his wife, living at another address describes herself as married.  Family secrets etc.

Martin

[heywood]

Thank you Kiltpin. I don’t suppose there’s any way we could confirm it? Would there be records relating to this do you think?

Have you checked local newspapers for any criminal charges? That could be another reason.
Was his birth registered as ‘Smith’?
Again, sometimes if there is illegitimacy, people revert to their birth name.

Heywood

[Ayashi]

I know in generations further back in Cornwall aliases were common.

I've also got various illegitimate ancestors who changed surname- my 2xt grandmother was born HAMLEY, on census as her step-father's ROBBINS, had her own illegitimate child under man's surname WALKER, married as HAMLEY, was on later census as married surname JONES and one child's birth had maiden name incorrectly recorded as her birth father's surname UGLOW.

I also did research on a man who was adopted as a child and he changed between his birth surname, adoptive surname and even a double-barrel of the two.

There's also inheritance- if one surname was more prominent than the other and he was hoping to get something out of a wealthy uncle, for example, or he was due to inherit a business where taking on the established surname would give him a better reputation.

Or, as others say, a way to hide his identity. It would have been much easier to do in those days.

Ayashi

[Jebber]

Have you researched his parents? Sometimes if a woman remarried one or more of the children used the step father’s name at various times. People switched names for many reasons, not necessarily to deceive or mislead.

I have a family that used two names for different records, I had to go back to the grandparents to find the reason.

[River Tyne Lass]

I discovered via a court case write up that a Conroy ancestor used or was given the alias of 'Gilroy'.  I believe his brother Joseph also married with this alias at St Alban, Earsdon.  In my research I believe I have found evidence that 'Kilroy' was also used as an alias.  Whether all this was accidental or by design I just don't know.

[youngtug]

The use of alias's was fairly common early on, it tended to have die'd out by the 1800s, except in some areas/cases.
 A lot of reasons are given for the use of an alias, trying to escape justice not one of them. What is the point of taking an alias and then also providing your other name?
Sometimes it was a relatives name, forename or surname, sometimes not even related but by marriage.
Also place names were used in some ways.
The reasons could be monetary, to show  respect or to keep a name alive, etc,,,